The following is an
overview of human rights violations in Iran on February 8th, 2019 based on the
information compiled and verified by Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA).

(1) A number of Kulbars (Kurdish back carriers) have been shot by border patrol in Sardasht and Baneh in West Azerbaijan province. Saman Bakhshi, Mehdi Faroughzadeh, and Arman Felahati were injured. In 2018, 152 Kulbars were killed or injured in Iran.

(2) Two alleged poachers have been arrested in Khomeyn on Thursday, February 7th. The Khomeyn county has 11 natural habitat and is located in Markazi province.

(3) Omran Gholam Khosravi was executed in Maragheh on January 29th. According to Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad’s prison chief, 11 prisoners accused of murder have been spared from hanging on gallows by consent of next of kin in this province, in 2018.

(4) Prison guards beat prisoners and used tear gas in the Shahr e-Rey prison (Gharchak). The unrest began when some prisoners protested the fact that their names were not on a list of the pardoned prisoners for the 40th anniversary of the Islamic Revolution.

(5) Four people were sentenced to prison in Piranshahr and Quchan on the charge of “cooperation with a Kurdish opposition group”. Mansour Farajzadeh, Soleiman Mohammadnejad, Bapir Barzeh, and Ahmad Ghalatehrash were sentenced to two and a half year, combined.

(6) A detained Lebanese citizen, Nazar Zaka, who was held in the solitary confinement of Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps Detention Center began a hunger strike to protest his illegal arrest. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison and paying 200 thousand dollars fine on espionage-related charges.

(7) A labor activist, Behnam Ebrahimzadeh, has been detained for two months, although his family provided his bail bond which has been set for 200 million Toman [approximately 20 thousand USD]. He was apprehended “en route to assist survivors of the Kermanshah earthquake.” He had been released from prison last year after finishing his seven years sentence.

(8) Esmail Bakhshi’s lawyer, Farzaneh Zilabi, was summoned to Shush Revolutionary Court. Bakhshi spoke out about abuse and torture he suffered in detention. He has been rearrested and is at risk of torture.

(9) A Kurdish poet, Hossein Bagheri known as Jakan Baran’s court was in session on Monday, February 4th. He was charged with ‘propaganda against the state and blasphemy’. He is unable to walk and lost his right kidney.

The following is an
overview of human rights violations in Iran on January 25th, 2019 based on the
information compiled and verified by Human Rights Activists News Agency
(HRANA).

(1) A 23-years-old Kulbar (Kurdish back carrier), Soran Mohammadi, was injured after the Iranian border patrol opened fire to a group of Kulbars near Sardasht city.

(2) A labor activist, Behnam Ebrahimzadeh, has been detained for about a month and half, although a bond has been set for his bail.

(3) Majid Asadi, a prisoner in Rajaee Shahr in Karaj was denied urgent medical care. He is suffering from severe Gastrointestinal diseases such as Stomach ulcer and Herniated disc, and Ankylosing spondylitis which is a type of arthritis of the spine. He wrote an open letter about torture, mistreatment, humiliation and abuse in prison on January 16, 2019. He has been arrested in February 2017 and sentenced to six years prison term on the charge of “assembly and collusion against national security”.

(4) Eight Gonabadi Dervishes, Asghar Ganji Panahi, Mohammad Panahi, Pouya Ayazi, Omid Ghasemi, Sajjad Razmi, Bijan Soltani, Arash Moradi, and Saeed Arab were released from Great Tehran Penitentiary after finishing serving their one-year sentences. The group were among a larger cohort arrested and sentenced in Tehran Revolutionary Court for their participation in the Golestan Haftom incident in February of last year.

(5) Milad Heydari Hendijani was released from Shiraz’s Adelabad prison after finishing his prison term. He was accused of “insulting the Supreme leader”, and “propaganda against the state”.

(6) The laid off workers of Farsit Company in Doroud have held a protest to get their jobs back. The company was shut down in 2016 and recently 34 workers of it have been employed in a cast iron manufacturer.

(7) The head of the judiciary, Sadeq Amoli Larijani, announced that: The Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei will be pardoned or reduce the sentences of a large number of convicts on the 40th anniversary of Iran’s Islamic Revolution which is commemorated in Iran.

(8) The head of education in Golestan province said that “there are 72 ‘conex [shipping container] schools’ in the Golestan province.”

(9) The workers of Chouka Company in Shafa Rud have at least five months unpaid wages.

(10) A construction worker died in Tehran because of negligence in the oversight of safety conditions in the workplace. Iran ranked 102 in the workplace safety among other countries.

The following is an overview of human rights violations in Iran on January 20th, 2019 based on the information compiled and verified by Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA).

(1) Sepideh Gholian was arrested earlier today. She reacted to last night’s broadcast of her forced confessions on the national television and requested a public trial. She is a social rights’ activist and was released on bail on December 18th. She was arrested on November 18th while she was supporting the strike of the Haft Tappeh Sugarcane workers.

(2) A Baha’i citizen, Atousa Ahmadaei, was arrested earlier today in Tehran and was transferred to an unknown place. The intelligent officers also searched her home and confiscated her belongings indicating that her charge is “acting against the national security’.

(3) A Telegram activist, Mohammad Mehdi Zamanzadeh, was released from prison after completing two and a half years sentence for blasphemy-related charges.

(4) Two Kulbars (Kurdish back carriers), Karim Faraji and Masoud Ahmadzadeh, were injured after fell falling off a mountain in Sardasht and Baneh.

(5) Mohammad Saleh Shokri was acquitted of “cooperation with a Kurdish opposition group” in Saqqez while Majid Tibash was released on bail on the same charge in Urmia. Five other people, Ali Esmaeili, Oman Hasani, Hassan Mousavi, Abdollah Advai, Osman Hosseini, Jamal Mousavi and Arshia Maleki have been arrested on the same charge in Oshnavieh, Sarvabad and Kermanshah.

(6) A 23-year-old resident of Ahvaz, Ali Ayashi, was arrested by the security forces. His whereabouts is still unknown.

(7) Yaser Mohebi and Ghader Zini have been arrested in Kermanshah and Urmia on the charge of “cooperation with Kurdish opposition group”. Mohebi was arrested last year after having a speech in support of Baha’i citizens.

(8) Historian and documentary producer, Hossein Dehbashi, was sentenced to four months imprisonment on the charge of “disturbing the public mind” for the complaint filed by Ministry of Health and Medical Education’s. According to Hrana, Dehbashi rose to modest fame after producing a promotional documentary for 2013 presidential candidate Hassan Rouhani, as well as the documentary “The Royal Court’s Narrative.” In 2015, he directed and launched the Iran Verbal History Project through the National Library and Documentation Center [thousands of YouTube viewers have screened clips of Dehbashi’s work, which features interviews with key political figures from the past four decades.

(9) The families of two detained Arab citizens, Ghasem Beit Abdollah and Abdollah Karmalacheab who received death penalty for ‘acting against the national security’ and were transferred to the Evin prison, have expressed their concern for their execution date approaching.

(10) A prisoner on the death row was saved from execution by the consent of the next of kin in the Fars province. There have been 31 similar cases in the last 11 months. There were seven other savings from execution in the Yazd province in the same period

(11) Workers of Aleshtar city services in Lorestan province have unpaid wages. Also, the Ports and Marine Organization owes the insurance share to its workers.

(12) The release on bail for the two detained labor activists, Behnam Ebrahimzadeh and Arsham Rezaei is postponed. Also, Rezaei and two others in the same case Mohammad Hosseinzadeh, and Majid Hosseini, were transferred to quarantine in the Evin prison although their bonds were set.

(13) Sunni elites and professors in Sistan and Baluchestan wrote an open letter to the president, Hassan Rouhani, to protest the discrimination and not using Sunni’s elites’ consultation in this province.

(14) A man who assaulted the cashier of a restaurant, has received an alternate sentence to foster street Children for six months by the court of Shiraz.

(15) More than seven protests were organized in Iran on January 20, 2019. The clients of SAIPA and IranKhodro in Tehran, the contractors of Tehran municipality, Ahvaz inter-city rail workers, the workers of city services in Borujerd, the investors in Padideh Shandiz in Tehran, the applicants of Islamic Azad Medical University in Tehran, and the workers of Lowshan municipality held separate protests to demand their requests.

(16) Five foreign exchange market dealers (Forex brokers) were sentenced to 370 lashes, combined, on the charge of “interfering with the interchangeability of the foreign currency value”.Five foreign exchange market dealers (Forex brokers) were sentenced to 370 lashes, combined, on the charge of “interfering with the interchangeability of the foreign currency value”.

The following is an
overview of human rights violations in Iran on January 19th, 2019 based on the
information compiled and verified by Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA).

(1) Two Baha’i citizens, Kimia Mostafavi and Kiana Rezvani, have been arrested in Kerman. Their whereabouts are still unknown.

(2) A landmine explosion injured Hadid Babajani, a 19-year-old Kulbar (Kurdish back carrier), in Ravansar city in the Kermanshah province.

(3) Two workers of Iran National Steel Industrial Group (NSIG) in Ahvaz, Karim Sayahi and Tarogh Khalafi, were released after two months. More than 43 workers of NSIG have been arrested on December 16, 2018.

(4) A student transporting vehicle crashed leaving four students injured in Tehran. Similar incidents had happened in Qaleh Ganj and Ekhtiarabad in Kerman province on January 15 and 16.

(5) A Baha’i owned-business in Birjand was reopened. Farshid Deymi’s store was sealed off by judicial authorities order last year. Apparently, the Baha’i owned-businesses were shut down because they were closed for Bahai religious holidays.

(6) Two detained labor activists, Behnam Ebrahimzadeh and Arsham Rezaei have their bonds set at 200 million Toman [approximately 20 thousand USD] each. Ebrahimzadeh was arrested last month and he had been released from prison last year after finishing his seven years sentence.

(7) Masoud Shamsnejad, a lawyer and professor, was arrested and transferred to Urmia prison while the security guards raided his home and confiscated his belongings. He was accused of “propaganda against the state” due to being a lawyer of his clients.

(8) A worker died of electrocution in Tehran and another worker fatally fell in Zahedan, because of negligence in the oversight of safety conditions.

(9) Four employees of a news website, Sunni News, were summoned to the Revolutionary Court in Zahedan. Sunni News discusses the Sunni Islam beliefs and rituals with respect to the other religions.

(10) The workers of Khuzestan Pipe Industrial Company have more than 15 months unpaid wages and 11 months unpaid insurance fee owed by the employer.

(11) Two environmentalists have been arrested in Sanandaj city in Kurdistan province. Edris Mohammadi and Avat Karami were arrested for an unknown reason and their whereabouts are still unknown.

(12) More than three protests were organized in Iran on January 19, 2019. Municipality workers in Borujerd, several people in Sistan and Baluchestan, and the workers of Ahvaz inter-city rail, have held separate protests to demand their requests.

(4) Ali Kamrani Released After Completing his Prison Sentence

(5) Three inmates were beaten and their hands and feet have been tied by a prison officer

(6) More Than Nine Protests Were Organized All Over the Country

(7) More from Iran

(1) A Political Prisoner, Vahid Sayadi Nasiri, Died in Prison After 60 Days of Hunger Strike

Vahid Sayadi Nasiri died in Qom prison after 60 days of hunger strike.He was imprisoned in Langarud prison in Qom, after 60 days hunger strike without access to proper medical care. He was facing with accusations of “blasphemy”and “spreading propaganda against the state”. He went on hunger strike in protest to his legal situation. His family was contacted today and received the news of his death in Shahid Beheshti hospital in Qom.

Meisam Al-Mahdi , Iran National Steel Industrial Group activist, who was arrested on December 11th, was released today. Moreover, Esmail Bakhshi, a worker of Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Agro-Business was released on bail today. The whereabouts of the other labor activists who were arrested in recent protests are still unknown. Also, Ali Kroshat and Hamedi Nargesi, detained teacher’s right activist, were released on bail.He was arrested on November 12, 2018 in teacher’s protest in Khuzestan. The status of Mohammad Ramezanzadeh, and Omid Shahmohammadi, teachers who were arrested, is unknown.

Four citizens were arrested by security forces and intelligence department’s officers in Urmia, Piranshahr and Divandarreh. The Center of Democracy and Human Rights in Kurdistan reported that in this week, Soleiman Mohammadnezhad, Bapir Barzeh, Jamal Mahmoudzadeh, and Homayun Bahmani were arrested in Piranshahr, Urmia, and Divandarreh and were transferred to an unknown place. Moreover, Jamshid Derakhshan, who converted to Christianity and was arrested by security forces on December 2nd, contacted his family today and informed that he has been transferred to Rajai Shahr prison in Karaj.

(4) Ali Kamrani Released After Completing his Prison Sentence

Ali Kamrani a student of Azarbaijan Shahid Madani University who was arrested on December 31, 2017 and was accused of “insulting the supreme leader” and“spreading propaganda against the state” was released on December 12, 2018 after completing his prison sentence of three months.

(5) Three inmates were beaten and their hands and feet have been tied by a prison officer

On December 11, 2018, three inmates in Zahedan prison were beaten by the prison officers and have been left in quarantine with tied hands and feet. Aref Kharkouhi, 26 years old inmate who was accused of Moharebeh through armed robbery, Mehrollah Rigi, 24 years old prisoner with a murder charge, and Reza Bameri are inmates who were transferred to quarantine. They were held in wardfive of the Zahedan prison.

(6) More Than Nine Protests Were Organized All Over the Country

Flight attendants of the Airline of the Islamic Republic of Iran (Iran Air) held a protest by the parliament, Haft Tappeh Sugarcane Agro-Business workers, the Iranian University Entrance Exam (Konkour) participants, the workers and employees of Arvandkenar county in Abadan district, 40 people who owned Arvandi cars, the workers of Ahvaz Steel company, the shareholders of the bankrupt Caspian Institution, and Tehran’s municipality’s contractors requested fulfillment of their demands in multiple protests.

(7) More from Iran

Behnam Ebrahimzadeh, a labor activist, was arrested on December 12, 2018 and transferred to an unknown place. He was convicted in absentia and sentenced to 18 months imprisonment.

Unpaid wages earned within six months owed to workers in two corporations in Talesh and Borujerd

Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA)- On September 11, 2018, labor activist Behnam Ebrahimzadeh was released on a bail of approximately $4,000 USD (400,000,000 Rials) and is awaiting trial.

Ebrahimzadeh was arrested by security forces near Kermanshah (western Iran) and transferred to the local detention center of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on Friday, August 17, 2018.

On August 31st, Ebrahimzadeh’s case garnered international attention when a statement from Canadian Union of Postal Workers President Mike Palecek condemned his arrest and demanded his immediate release.

In a previous report, a source close to Ebrahimzadeh’s family told HRANA that he was apprehended “en route to assist survivors of the Kermanshah earthquake.”

Ebrahimzadeh, born in 1977 in Oshnavieh (West Azerbaijan province), has been detained several times since 2008 in cases related to his labor activism. In May 2017, HRANA announced his release from Rajai Shahr Prison after serving a seven-year sentence.

Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) – As far as his family knows, labor activist Behnam Ebrahimzadeh could be seriously suffering, or worse: seventeen days after his arrest near Kermanshah in western Iran, authorities have yet to release word of his wellbeing or whereabouts.

“Mr Ebrahimzadeh has had no contact with his family for 17 days, and his family is unaware of his fate, which makes them very anxious,” a source close to the family revealed to HRANA.

Ebrahimzadeh was arrested on Friday, August 17, 2018, and transferred to a Revolutionary Guard Intelligence Detention Center in Kermanshah the same day.

Ebrahimzadeh, who was born in 1977 in Oshnavieh (West Azerbaijan province), has been detained several times since 2008 in cases related to his labor activism. His imprisonments have previously gained international attention.

On Friday, August 31, 2018, President of the Canadian Union of Postal Workers Mike Palecek issued a statement addressed to Iranian authorities, condemning Ebrahimzadeh’s most recent arrest and demanding his immediate release.

In a previous report, a source close to Ebrahimzadeh told HRANA: “He was arrested by security forces around Kermanshah while en route to assist survivors of the Kermanshah earthquake, and taken to an unknown location on Friday, August 17, 2018. After three days of persistent inquiry, his family learned of his detention, but no information about the reason for his arrest is available.”

In May 2017, HRANA announced Ebrahimzadeh’s release from Rajai Shahr Prison after serving seven years in prison.

Human Rights Activists News Agency (HRANA) – Former political prisoner and labor activist Behnam Ebrahimzadeh was arrested by security forces around Kermanshah (western Iran) and taken to an unknown location on Friday, August 17, 2018.

According to a source close to Mr Ebrahimzadeh’s family, he was detained while en route to assist survivors of the Kermanshah earthquake that claimed thousands of casualties in November 2017.

After several days of persistent inquiry, his family learned of his detention, but remain in suspense as to the reason for his arrest.

Behnam Ebrahimzadeh, born in 1977 in Oshnavieh (West Azerbaijan province), has been detained several times since 2008. On June 12, 2010, he was arrested and interrogated in solitary confinement for four months, and later transferred to Ward 350 of Evin prison. At the conclusion of a brief trial without a defense lawyer, Judge Salavati of Branch 15 of the Revolutionary Court in Tehran sentenced Mr Ebrahimzadeh to twenty years in prison. The sentence was later reduced to 5 years in an appeals court.

Over the course of his five-year sentence in Evin Prison, Ebrahimzadeh endured multiple beatings and transfers to solitary confinement. His detention at Evin coincided with the 2014 incident known as “Black Thursday” in which plainclothes agents and Evin Prison staff coordinated a group assault on Ward 350 inmates. Later, he was illegally exiled to Rajai Shahr Prison in Karaj, where he was repeatedly harassed and shifted among wards.

Near the end of his five-year sentence, Ebrahimzadeh faced new charges of anti-regime collusion and propaganda, allegedly committed while he was in prison. He contested the charges in the Tehran Appeals Court. On July 31, 2016, the new sentence of nine and a half years imprisonment was first reduced to seven years and ten months, and then to 15 days with a fine of approximately $100 USD (4,500,000 Rials).

Authorities had also accused Mr Ebrahimzadeh of “violating a detention order” and “using satellite equipment and game cards” during his time in Evin.

More recently, on September 24, 2017, Ebrahimzadeh was released from a ten-day detainment after being arrested along with several others in front of Rajai Shahr Prison, where they were rallying in a demonstration of solidarity with prisoners on hunger strike.

HRANA News Agency – Behnam Ebrahimzadeh, imprisoned labor activist in Rajai Shahr prison, was exiled to the ward of “dangerous prisoners” by order of the prison director.

According to the report of Human Rights Activists in Iran (HRANA), Behnam Ebrahimzadeh was deported to Hall 35 of ward 10, by order of Daryoush Amirian, the director of the prison on December 26, 2016. (more…)